Dawn of Equestria
by Secret Sheik
Summary: Celestia's beginnings, set within the pre-classical era of pony history. Rated for occasional violence. Some liberties taken to fill in historical gaps. (why Starswirl the Bearded isn't a selectable character is beyond me)


A/N: Much of what we know about Starswirl is in bits and pieces, and the history of ponies is also somewhat unclear. That being said, I will try to at least uphold as much of canon as possible and all the rest will be relying partly on our history and partly on just making things up. We know, though, that Celestia had to have been around at least about this time from what we know of pony history, so really this will be more a story of both of them. Enjoy my rendition of the pre-classical era.

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><p>High in the vast, rocky, mountainous terrain that made up the land of the unicorns, things were far from the peaceful scene created. Though the skies were clear and blue with only the cold temperatures signifying anything was amiss, Starswirl, a large white unicorn and court spell-maker, was now bursting through the massive double doors of the castle, all but bowling over a nearby guard. Scrambling to his feet, the armored pony tried to get in front of the intruder, no matter who that intruder might be.<p>

"Wait! You can't go in there!"

Starswirl, his build much larger than the poor young thing they assigned to this post, shouldered him aside as best as he could while not causing any more harm. "Do you really think you can stop me? My news is urgent, the king will want to hear this at once." He turned his shoulder without waiting for a response, invading the throne room at full speed. "Your highness! Pegasi have attacked the lower plains region! Losses were catastrophic. The area is not expected to recover, even with reinforcements. We were forced to abandon it."

The unicorn king, a deep blue gray and somber old sort, looked troubled by the report but his wife only waved off the nonsense. She was entirely too flippant about almost everything. Tousling a bit of perfectly styled crimson mane aside with a wave of her sunflower colored hoof, she gestured to a pair of foreigners, earth ponies, in the room. "Why, you're here just in time, Starswirl. The earth ponies from Marephis have come to offer their tribute. I heard they might even have something fresh in there this time."

He spared a look at the worn out ambassadors, clearly having come a very long way from their native Aegyptus. The golden bangles, necklaces and earrings their kind had become renowned for were covered in dirt, their hooves dry and cracking. Even so, they had brought their tribute, several baskets full of overripe fruits and vegetables. A few pieces looked very much past their ripe stage indeed, never mind the magical trinkets they had been given to keep the food in a cold state, and the king stated just as much. "It's a rather sore tribute, too, but I have heard this year has been poor farming down south. We will still accept it." His horn glowed green as he grabbed parchment and a quill, signing the acceptance document for the ambassadors. With that, they were dismissed, and the king frowned, his thick brows bristling. "What is this now about the Pegasi?"

Unfettered by the distraction, he continued where he left off. "Right. The south plains region needed to be abandoned. The Pegasi overpowered us far beyond what we had expected, and little could be done to help it. We saved what we could and escaped, but we lost acres of farming land."

"We can ill afford to lose much more. In the future we will have to see about trying to win it back but for now, you did enough. What of the scouting parties?"

"I don't know yet." His long tail flicked; he was one of the few unicorns left among them that still retained their ancient lion's tail and goat's beard. "I saw them as my party moved in, but we had to remove ourselves so quickly we couldn't regroup. Losses were catastrophic. I don't know—"

Suddenly a nervous villager burst into the room, his face dark with black cinders and smelling of heavy smoke. "Fire! Fire in the west granary!"

In a burst of movement the old king was on his feet, shouting orders at all in the room. Any who had the power to summon or move water would be gathered immediately, another party of workers would retrieve as much grain as they could, and Starswirl... "Starswirl, I will need you to get into that granary and locate the source of the fire and stop it if you can. It's dangerous, but you've done far worse before. Find out how it started, and if it was done intentionally, look into who it was."

"Right away!" He turned tail in a half-leap, hooves skidding slightly on the smooth stone as he galloped back through the opened doors. The guard he had knocked to the ground had apparently been knocked over yet again when the peasant came in to report the fire, and now he stood aside letting everyone pass. This inanely long hall only made his stormy expression grow deeper, but just outside the great entry he saw a face he was very relieved to see. It was his latest student, Clover, a bright young green colt. As used as he was to Clover's uncanny foresight, seeing him there ready with his plain gray wizard's hat made him pause with a touch of surprise. "Somehow you always seem to know what I need."

The much shorter green colt shook his head, ears flattened with anxiety. "I heard about the fire and I knew you would too. Something this serious always makes it to the palace. It started out of nowhere, no sign of an ember or anything. A roof just caught fire and spread to the granary."

Starswirl's ears perked forward, absently putting on his enchanted hat with a magical lift. "So it wasn't the roof of the granary? Why, the only house that could be close enough to spread fire to the granary is Corona's house, isn't it? He's away on a scouting team, I wonder what could have happened. We'd better find his wife Stella and make sure she's alright."

"Well, she does enjoy baking, I'm sure it was just an accident." In all honesty, he hoped it was an accident. It had to be. The punishment for intentionally or negligently setting fire in a village made of clay and thatch was very severe. As they galloped at full burst into the western quadrant of the main town, Clover was trying his best to match his master's long, powerful strides. Ahead, a few unicorns had already begun trying to tame the fire, magically hurling water or in the case of the nearest mare, throwing ice into the blaze. Those who couldn't levitate such a large amount of water were taking smoking bundles of unprocessed wheat from the granary, others taking out bags and bags of flour. Someone even had the mind to rescue a few of the choicer implements from the half destroyed building, the tools too valuable to waste.

Starswirl spun as he saw Stella burst from the building, carrying her own charred bag of flour, stopping her with his bigger form. The mare looked up at him nervously through her deep pink hair, dropping the bag of flour where she stood. She was a sturdy sort and a peasant, and he recalled her having famous recipes for cherry anything, but he knew her husband Corona better. "Are you alright? Clover said the fire began in your house. What happened?"

The poor blue mare looked about ready to collapse from exhaustion, but another emotion, fear, shadowed her eyes briefly before she finally threw herself at his feet. "Oh, I just don't know why this happened! My little filly is still in there! We were just going to eat and before I knew it, her horn surged with magic and everything was on fire! I swear, Starswirl, I didn't do this, and I know she didn't mean to. Please, I beg mercy, she's still just a baby!"

He urged her to her feet, grabbing a nearby rescued blanket and draping it around her shoulders. "I highly doubt anyone would fault a foal for doing what any other unicorn foal has done in their lives. True, most are less... violent about it, but I ah... I must admit I did much the same as a colt. Wait here, I'll get in there and stop her. Clover, you're a clever colt, see to it that the granary is cleared in the fastest and safest way possible, and clear away anything that might make the fire spread. There's little hope to save the house or the granary at this point. The food is more important."

Starswirl posed, head to the ground, muttering a spell under his breath as his magic came to life, horn glowing a bright purple. His hat, always a mark of his duty as court spell-maker, wasn't just an ordinary hat. Without it he was too powerful, unfocused and unpredictable. It had taken quite a bit of work to enchant it just the way he wanted, but now it helped him meld even his wild magic into a stable shield, expelling the flames around him as he walked into the burning house. As expected, there was little left of it to save and in the center, there was the scared and crying filly. The poor thing had even burned her bed around her, her sheer force of magic the only thing keeping the flames from touching her.

He took a moment to size up the situation. The filly certainly took after her mother with her deep pink hair, though she was white-pink in the body. There wasn't as much of Corona in her, except maybe her tendency to set fire to everything. If he hadn't been so heavily reassured that magical talents rarely spread directly down the generations he would have recommended them a home that wasn't next to the granary. A sudden surge of power made him falter in his steps. She had noticed he was there.

"Such power! Come now little one, I know the first surges are the worst, but you are Corona's daughter and you'll have to learn to live with this." Even for an unpredictable filly, though, she was far more powerful than he had ever expected. Her magic actually managed to push him back a step or two, his shield faltering now and then in the inferno. Clenching his jaw, he suspected that she might be one of the few who might one day grow to be too powerful for her own good. He pushed harder, fighting her bit by bit, dodging flaming objects flying at him as she raged on. One particularly heavy pot caught his knee, bringing him down to her level, his hat falling askew and the lone bell on the tip of the tall hat dangling in front of her face. It jangled loudly, causing just enough distraction for her magic to slip, allowing him to scoop her up and run.

Starswirl held his shield as the smoke irritated his nose, and he quickly stifled a sneeze. Part of the flaming heavy thatch fell just a bit too close for comfort but he made it through the rough entrance with time to spare. Clover had rallied a couple other unicorns to be ready to levitate more water onto the house once he exited, and he dodged a well aimed burst. Stella met him halfway, retrieving her unfortunate filly and wrapping her in the borrowed blanket. She sighed when she saw the pile of cinders her home had become, glad her family was safe but also knowing she could never afford a new home. "Thank you so much, Starswirl. I didn't know what to do, I only have ordinary magic. It wasn't always like this, she would have magic surges now and then just like any other foal, but it's only gotten worse and worse!"

"Worse?" He was caught off guard by that, and he eyed Clover, giving the apprentice a knowing look. "That's not good. It's supposed to start off strong and get weaker over time. Well, there's no telling. There have been others who turned worse but then evened out as they grew. Let me take a look at her." Briefly he made sure that all the other unicorns had the fire well handled, directing Clover over to help finish up. It was nearly time for sunset, and they needed to be finished to help lower the sun.

Now he took a closer look at the pale young filly, her bright eyes watching him closely. The moment he put his head closer though she snatched his hat with her mouth, shaking it until the bell on it jingled loudly. He chuckled, subtly inspecting her horn and the health of her coat and hair. Already her horn seemed a little oversized for a young filly, just as his and several other great magic users had been, but not much else stood out. "You're a puzzle, little one. I wouldn't worry too much about her, Stella, I think she simply has great potential. What is her name?"

The mare gently pried the valuable hat from the filly's mouth, distracting her with a nuzzle. "We named her Celestia."

"She's how many months old now? Five?" At her nod he sighed, pawing the ground nervously. "If it doesn't wear down by the time she has reached her first year, it never will. There's no helping it, Stella, you will have to relocate. I can't imagine you'd complain, given the circumstances, but you can't stay in one of these sorts of houses. You need to be within stone walls, something that won't catch fire as she transitions."

As expected Stella hesitated, looking down at the ground. "We could never afford such a thing. Corona has a fine position among our warriors but to hollow anything from the mountainside would take several workers and gems. I don't know how we could even manage to replace what we lost."

He knew quite well, though, just what Corona's pay was like and he knew already that this would be the case. Still, he wasn't the court spell-maker for nothing. He had the right to use what privileges came with the job, and he was going to. "No matter, I'll take care of it. I will get you quarters at the palace." Waving away her protests with a gesture of his horn, he went on. "Not anything special, of course, but I know there have been a few servant quarters laying empty for months. Once the king hears of this fire, I know he would insist on just the same thing. With that, I would also insist on having her trained in magic at once. I know it is too early for most, but after what she did, it will have to happen. She won't be punished for starting this fire, but you know as well as I do how serious this is. We will need to make sure it never happens again, however it must be done."

"I understand. Still, to live in the palace... I'm not so sure it would be a good idea."

He snorted, tossing his head. "Oh you can be the new palace baker if it makes you feel better. You really could, too. I don't know a single soul who has said your pastries are anything but the finest. Then you truly could be a palace servant, and you'd be just down the hall where I could come if you needed help. Ah, well now, here comes the king. Ask him for yourself, I think he will agree with me."

Sure enough the old king was walking down the dirt trail, surveying the damage to the granary. Though there was little left of the granary itself to save, the mill stone was of course perfectly alright and most of the food had been either bagged or bundled for the day and had been easily transported out with little lost. He sighed with relief when he heard the good news, but when he saw Starswirl he increased his pace to meet up with them. Sparing a look at Stella, he addressed them promptly. "I'm glad to hear everything was handled so well. Lady Stella, I believe that was your house, wasn't it? Tell me, how did this happen?"

Despite what he had said about her asking the king herself, Starswirl spoke for her. If there was going to be any sort of backlash, he would endure it. "Sire, I'm afraid a foal's early power surge was the cause of this blaze."

"Was it now?" Now he noticed Stella's young filly, and he looked at her with a measuring glance. "I suppose it was this young filly, I'm sure. Bah, that idiotic fortune teller doesn't know a thing. He said without a doubt that Corona's talent couldn't possibly pass on to this generation and would most likely skip. Never mind, we don't have time for that right now. We must gather and lower the sun at once or the other tribes will think we are negligent of our duties. The ambassadors from Marephis will be there too, to make sure we uphold our end of the bargain. Once we are through here we can see about clearing one of the empty chambers at the palace."

Starswirl held back a sigh of relief and gave Stella a triumphant grin. She nervously returned his smile and joining a line of other unicorns, made their way to the great henge to the northeast. The stone monument stood as tall as five of himself and twice around per pillar, several of those pillars arranged in a large stone circle, built before any of them could recall anyone remembering. Since ancient times it had been the only place all unicorns in the area could gather to join their powers as one and create the immense effort it took to move the sun and moon across the sky. It did unfortunately require the majority of the unicorns in the area to accomplish it, though, so it was very much a relief when Corona met with their group at a canter, looking worn and injured but nothing appeared too serious.

"I just heard what happened," he he said as he just caught up, a touch out of breath. The stallion was just as tall as Starswirl in hands, his dark burgundy coat and gray blond mane and tail a shocking contrast. His face had long been marred by a battle with a griffin, telltale scars down the right side of his face, and now he looked to be sporting all new ones on the rest of him probably from the Pegasi. "Yes, yes, I know I'm wounded, don't give me that look, Starswirl. It's nothing. I'm ready to help, but please tell me what happened along the way."

As more and more unicorns joined their line and a few other smaller lines, all was more or less explained. Ahead the great henge loomed over their heads, a marvel in prehistoric architecture but still their greatest mystery. Starswirl, being the primary spell-maker, took to the center of the circle inside the henge, joined on increasingly larger circles of the other more powerful unicorns, the king included. In the circle, there was no king, queen, commoner or soldier, all joined together large and small to add their power into the one great spell they unleashed twice daily. Colors of all kinds of magic circled and reached up in a pillar, the stones of the henge reacting with a glow. Starswirl collected this magic and sent it upward, the sun slowly but surely moving across the sky to the west. The moon rose just as the sun set, lighting the sky with a pale glow. Slowly their magic faded, the part of the spell that required the most control. Fortunately it was done without incident, though everyone involved was left very tired.

Starswirl shook his head once the others began to disperse, flicking away the bit of light-headed feeling that came every time he did this. Clover rejoined him, going back to business as usual as they met up again with the king and Corona's family. Despite the amount of concentration required in the sun setting spell, the king had clearly been thinking all along of what he was going to tell them. "It is decided. Corona, Stella, you and your family will move into the servant wing of the palace until such a time as young Celestia can control her magic. My own daughter, Princess Platinum, is also due for her first magic lessons so it might be convenient to have them learn together. Starswirl, you will oversee their training."

Up until now Starswirl had been in complete agreement but this sudden addition caught him off guard. "Me? My liege, I'm sorry but Clover only just apprenticed himself to me a year ago. I don't think it would be fair to him to have three students at once."

"There's no helping it. There are few unicorns who can control a unicorn capable of such violent early spells, and those others have too many students as it is. You are the only one with but one student. It is because I trust your judgment that I would give you the honor of instructing my only daughter as well."

As problematic as it was to his attentions to his research, he knew he had been lucky going so many years having only one student at a time in these perilous times. Ducking his head respectfully, he accepted the burden with dignity. "I will see to it that you are not disappointed."

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><p>"How dare you put me with this... this peasant's child!" Princess Platinum's loud protests were likely heard in most of the wings of the castle, the way she was carrying on. Despite her father's constant trying to reign in her spoiled attitude, she had still been too often coddled by her mother and it showed.<p>

Starswirl maintained his composure, though, being used to the occasional lofty demands and treatment he received from royals. "Young Celestia here isn't merely the child of a peasant, Princess. She is also Corona's daughter, who you know is one of our team captains. Not to worry, I have a different sort of lesson to give her, and while she is working on it, we can work on yours."

"This is ridiculous!" Her shining white blond hair fell over an equally shining silver coat, but her green eyes were dark with anger. "She's not even my age, she's just a baby! What can you even teach a baby anyway?"

Whatever he might have agreed to with the king did not involve pampering the filly and he was now her teacher. She would learn to listen to him, whatever he might need to do to enforce it. If she went crying to her parents, they would not help her. With a stamp of his foot he brought her to attention, his own expression darkening. "Unicorns can learn at any age, and you will not learn anything if you do not listen! Don't think you can bargain your way out of this, Princess. You will do as I say!" He watched her closely for retaliation, seeing the simmer of indignity still in her eyes. Levitating over a book on basic spell-casting, he nodded briskly. "Good. Now, everyone must begin somewhere, so I want you to start reading this while I get a few things together."

She snorted in a very unladylike fashion and turned her nose up at the title. "An introduction to spells? But I already know how to cast a spell! When can I learn how to create fires, or conjure up a shield?"

Raising a brow, knowing he was in for quite a bit of trouble with this one, he opened the book to a page halfway through. Pointing out a lesson on how to levitate water, he set a bowl of water in front of her. "Well if you already know all of this, then you will know how to do this one, would you not? Do it for me and I will consider training you above this level. While you do that I will fetch Celestia's lesson." From the top of his favorite bookshelf he took out an old ring puzzle while the princess shakily brought magic to her horn. Levitation was one of the very first spells a unicorn learned, but levitating water was another matter. It was liquid, shapeless, and didn't hold in place unless the magic was just so.

Celestia was also going to learn how to levitate, seeing that she had already shown quite well that she knew how to do it, but she couldn't read just yet. He had dozens of block, ring and logic puzzles for the illiterate. Reading was often considered a luxury among the peasant class, so for those interested in learning a thing or two he kept plenty of alternatives. Briefly he showed the filly how the puzzles worked and left her to her own devices for a moment as he looked to see what had become of the bowl of water. "How are you coming along, Princess?"

How she was coming along, though, appeared to be rather wet. About half of the bowl of water was left, though she was trying as hard as she could to scoop it out of the bowl with her magic. She did manage to lift it a little, but the water quickly lost its shape as she failed to surround it properly, plopping back into the bowl with a splash."Oh I've had it!" Her hoof hit the table with a clatter, all things on it rattling loudly. On the floor Celestia was startled from her exercise, a floated ring just making it onto the post she had been putting it on. Unknown to the other two, she was now watching them very closely. "I can't be learning things like this! This is baby stuff!"

Starswirl held back a grin and a huff, filling the bowl back up with more water. "Not at all, Princess, and don't be disappointed. This chapter showed you exactly what to do and how to do it, but you didn't pay attention. Instructions are given for a reason, and they must be followed. Now, watch me." His horn lit and he performed the spell slowly, showing her how it was done. "You must first find the bottom of the bowl and when you do, you reach around and outward, lifting the water only once you have surrounded it. The hard part is remembering to stir your magic around the bottom, so no part is left unguarded for long. See?" The water he had lifted now formed into a sphere, his purple light indeed spinning around the base of the water as he carefully held it in place. With care he put the water back in the bowl, letting it drift in slowly. "Releasing it is difficult as well, but for now just learn to lift."

She looked about ready to get angry and storm about again but a warning look from him warded it off. Instead she quietly fumed, admitting defeat reluctantly. "I... don't know how to do that yet."

"That's alright. As I said, everyone must start somewhere. This was my first book, you know, and there is nothing wrong with learning from it just as I did. Perhaps you would both be better off starting out with a puzzle." Setting aside the bowl of water on a low table near Celestia, he took one of the ball and hole puzzles she hadn't yet started on. "Why not try this one? Levitating square shapes is simpler than round, so try and fit these balls into their proper holes and back again. Get used to their rounded shapes, feel as your magic goes around them and you will understand."

As she began slowly but surely his last student, Clover, came through the door, carrying in a dozen heavy books. He set the stack by the shelf that was going to be reorganized later, shaking out his coat briefly. "The weather is dreadfully windy out there, master! I'd say those pegasi are none too pleased that we found their northern base! There's already talk of a counter-attack and... I... Great stars above, Starswirl! You didn't tell me that you were already going to teach that little filly how to lift water!"

"What?" Knowing that the Princess had already given up, he turned to the only other one in the room, Celestia. Sure enough she had gotten bored with her exercise and was instead playing with the bowl of water he had set down, lifting a blob of it with her magic. It wasn't very precise or even shaped like a sphere, but she was doing it. A second blob joined the first, rippling to and fro as her concentration increased. Now Starswirl did laugh, leaning a hoof on Clover to steady himself. "So help me, Clover, but I do think this will be a very long few years."

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><p>Celestia, ever cheerful, held afloat a fresh hot cherry pie, trotting briskly into Starswirl's quarters in the castle. Once in a while her mother Stella would bake him a treat, ever grateful for his ongoing training. Unfortunately even now well after her first year, Celestia's magic was still a problem to anything flammable and they had decided to move into the palace permanently with the king's permission. She was about to knock when Princess Platinum came bursting out through the door, barely seeing her but definitely turning her nose at the very delectable and enticing pie.<p>

"Oh, what have you there, Celestia? More of your mother's pies?" She affected kind interest, but there was a touch of condescension to her tone. "Cherries again? Honestly, I don't know why someone would be obsessed with cherries." For the hundredth time since she had first gotten her mark of destiny, she displayed her hindquarters ever so subtly, a silver pendant mark showing on her flank. She knew quite well that Celestia was overdue as it was to get her own mark, and she couldn't resist reminding her.

Celestia had learned by now that the princess was simply like this and there would be no changing her, and thankfully before she would have been expected to respond, Starswirl came to the door, sniffing the air appreciatively. "Why if my nose doesn't fool me, I'd say there was a famous cherry pie adrift. Ah, Celestia, I've been expecting you. I do believe the princess has business elsewhere, why not come in?" With that the princess left, tail high, leaving the two very gratefully alone. Starswirl wasted little time in slicing into the warm, oozing pie, dishing up a piece for each of them. "I'm glad you came by. I didn't think I'd ever get rid of her! Has that silly thing been flaunting that mark of hers again? I would have thought by now she would grow tired of it."

She took out a few completed lesson scrolls from her pack, handing them over. Starswirl surreptitiously hid a good dozen reports about attacks in the south, but her quick eyes missed very little. Pretending not to notice, she set down her slice of pie on a nearby table. "I don't think she has much else to do. It's why my mother said that the princess keeps calling me peasant girl. She has a lot of nice things, but not nice friends."

"Well, she is right about that." The stallion sighed, putting away a few books and taking out another. "Someday I hope to dedicate more research into the mysteries of how we all might relate to each other. How is it that someone like the princess might indeed have everything in the world and yet be so shallow? How is it that the poorest of peasants can live so well by only having the closest of family? Your mother too is a peasant, but she is wise, even though she couldn't read a word of my simplest books. Wisdom and knowledge do not always come from books, sometimes it must come from within. I only wish I understood better how that works."

Taking a look around his quarters, filled with such a great many books, tools, mystical stones and potions, it all felt impersonal and empty. He suddenly felt beyond reach, set apart. "You're lonely."

His ears perked, giving her an unreadable look. Setting aside the book he had been about to page through, he contemplated that carefully. "I have you and Clover, and you have both been doing very well in your studies. Someday you too will have students of your own, and they will look to you. It is a hard thing to be different, to be special, but if you put your mind to it you can find those around you whose company you can keep."

Celestia appeared a little heartened by that, but her eyes were still showing a tinge of sorrow, reflecting a life still so small but so full of witnessing death after death all around her. "I don't really know about that."

"In time, you'll know for sure. Now, I have a bit of news for you that you might be interested in. I asked your parents and they have agreed to let you come help in lowering the sun this evening."

Her ears flicked forward with interest, but she wasn't quite so sure after what had happened only recently. "But Dewdrop-"

"Not only that, but when the solstice comes around you'd have to share these pies with everyone," he continued, ignoring the protest. "I think everyone would buy one!"

Celestia, though, was now old enough to know a dodge when she saw one, though, and in her innocence she persisted. "But Dewdrop died while she was helping raise the sun! Another unicorn told me that she lit up so brightly she almost blinded everyone and was gone in a flash!"

He immediately sobered, knowing he couldn't hide the saddest truth of their race from her much longer. For a moment he looked at his kind and diligent student, already grown past his knee, sighing as he motioned to a cushion to rest upon. "I don't know who told you that, but it must have been another young unicorn like yourself. I will tell you what happened, but don't speak of it to anyone else. Within all of us, there exists a spark. Some have a large one, some small, but others are wild like yours and mine, which is why I enchanted this hat, and why I gave you that necklace last year. It is what creates magic in everyone, but only in unicorns can it be used to affect our surroundings the way we do. With the other races, it is a more passive sort of thing. Some, like Commander Hurricane of the pegasi, can use it somewhat to create the largest of storms. What many do not know, though, is that the spark is also our very lives. We are interconnected with it, and if it is gone or rages out of control, we could die."

She took a bite of her pie a bit dispiritedly, ears back with sadness. "Dewdrop's spark exploded?"

"Something akin to that, yes. We call it ascension. When a unicorn becomes too powerful and attempts to use a spell greater than their spark can handle, the spark consumes them and they become the spell, disappearing into the air. They become magic itself. It has been said since times of old that these ascended unicorns became the stars, and others say they simply disappear, but none are sure exactly. For many unicorns, the spell to raise and lower the sun is a very difficult spell, which is why I am always at the center only drawing their energy and casting the spell in their stead. That is the greatest duty of every court spellcaster since the spark was discovered, but there is still always the risk that someone may ascend. All we did was decrease that risk. Perhaps someday we might enchant the henge, but until such a time happens, every day we must risk our lives, each and every one of us."

"Even my mother and father?"

He nodded. "Yes, especially your mother. Her magic is of the simplest kind, related only to her greatest passion and the most basic of spells. Even so, the spell must use as many of us as it can, and with the loss of Dewdrop we will need another." Seeing her downcast gaze, he nudged over a glass of water, knowing there wasn't much he could say to console her. "We don't have a choice. It is our duty to raise and lower the sun and moon, just as it is the need for pegasi to bring about the weather and the earth ponies to be wise of the land. We are bound to the henge, and we are bound to this land. This uneasy alliance is all that keeps us from tearing each other apart. I know it's frightening doing this for the first time, especially after Dewdrop, but it must be done. There is an hour before we need to be there, maybe we can go over the spell once more."

Little seemed to help though as she only grew more upset, tears threatening to form on her long lashes. "We've already gone over it a hundred times! I don't know if I can do it. Dewdrop was older than me, she probably did this for years and years and then she died! We die out in battle, we die when we get invaded, and now we die even when we are doing what we are supposed to be doing! I don't want anyone to die like that anymore!" Not heeding his shouts for her to come back, she darted out of the room on her spindly legs, the tears now coming freely. She hadn't known Dewdrop all that well. The mare had just been a plain and friendly unicorn, sometimes giving treats to the fillies and colts in the area, impressing them with water tricks. Briefly she wondered just how many unicorns had died like that, though she felt in her gut that all she had to do was look up at the stars to find out.

Nobody had paid much mind to a little filly running through the town, and although she hadn't really realized where she was going, she found herself nearly bumping into the great stone henge outside the northeast edge. She wasn't quite sure what had led her here, but she also knew that sometimes things happened for a reason, even if it was unclear. Frowning up at the cold, impassive stones, she kicked one, knowing she couldn't do much harm but needing to do something, anything to vent her frustration. Sitting at the base of one stone she looked up at the sky, the bright and unfeeling sun shining down on her pale face.

Starswirl found her there, knowing somehow that this was where she would be drawn to, and he sat next to her, looking up to the skies as well. "If only we could leave. If only we could move the henge, and take it far away from here. I've tried." He looked down at her, looking past her tears and seeing a reflection of himself so long ago. "I tried, Celestia. I couldn't do it. I couldn't change anything. All I ever did was fool myself into thinking something else was possible."

It was an honest statement, and it only made her want to cry more, knowing it was so hopeless. "Why can't the sun just stay up there?"

"You know why," he said simply, knowing it was a rhetorical question.

"I know. It would make everything too hot."

"That's right. We have done much, though, to make this as safe as possible, and I'm working every day to find even more ways. Go on now, look at the henge. Perhaps something will come to mind."

With a bit of reverence she walked into the center of the circle, feeling the old and slow flow of magic in the stones. There seemed to be phrases whispered among them, an ancient chant of unknown or dead words. It stirred her blood, but nothing seemed to come of it. Above the sun seemed to shine brighter, pulsing out in its distant home. Just as she turned back, though, a sudden jolt burst through her, her horn glowing in a surge of golden light without her control. The gold and amethyst necklace that Starswirl had made for her was indeed giving her the focus needed, but it couldn't protect against this.

Celestia bore the odd burst and braced herself against the stone, holding back her fear and watching with a trained eye as she had learned to do. Starswirl had shot up from his seat by then, but he watched on, knowing he shouldn't interfere but at the same time worried for her safety. At times, many great wizards had spoken of unicorn magic sometimes happening suddenly, sometimes guiding one somewhere or in a certain place, and it was always for a greater reason. Even as she lost control of her grip on the stone beneath her, she watched carefully as her horn reacted with a power she never expected. Her eyes then shot to see the sun, knowing now what she had to do. It was this, or there would never be any change. Quietly she chanted an old rhyme, bringing focus to her wildly flailing magic, sending it out to the very sun itself. Slowly, ever so slowly, she was dragging the sun across the sky – by herself.

From the edge of the henge Starswirl backed away in startled awe, ears tight and flat against his head and tail twitching as he hunched down instinctively. This was impossible. The amount of energy required to move the sun couldn't come from anyone, much less a young filly. Still, right here before his very eyes, she was doing it. She was moving the sun, and the henge wasn't so much as shimmering.

Vaguely Celestia was aware on the edge of her senses that a few other unicorns had come to the scene. She ignored them, still remembering the rhyme, weaving the spell just as she had taught, and somehow known how to do. Now it felt almost like an instinct, a thing inborn in her very being, to be doing this right now. Behind her the moon rose as the sun fell, her body now glowing more from her magical golden light. As the sun was drawn out of sight and the moon lay overhead she came down to the ground, lifted by her power and now receding into the depths of whence it came. Now she indeed noticed all of the unicorns now gathered around her, and she flushed with a bit of embarrassment. She didn't have time to react though as the king himself came forward, giving Starswirl an accusatory look.

"What is the meaning of this? What did you do, that a youngling has such an amount of power?"

Celestia, though, trotted over to the king, standing in front of Starswirl defensively. "I didn't mean to, sir, it just... happened. We were only going out here to look at the henge and I just... I don't know. I can't really explain-"

"Look!" someone shouted from the crowd. "Look, she has the sun on her flank!"

Sure enough, her own mark of destiny was the sun itself, and she turned to look at her flank with surprise. She looked at it this way and that, but there it was, still there and still who she was meant to be. Somehow she knew it in her heart. The king still looked a little shocked by the turn of events, and the other unicorns looked much the same, but then her father Corona pushed his way through the crowd, scooping her up onto his back. "Good work, Celestia! Good work indeed! You found your destiny at last!"

His simple joy, not at all minding what she had just done or what it would mean for the future, was infectious and a few started stamping their cheers, celebrating her discovery along with her. There was now hope of a different kind of future than what they had spent however many hundreds upon hundreds of years scraping from the bare stone and earth, a future not tied to any one place forever. They were free.


End file.
